


you live like that, you live with ghosts

by luckysam78



Series: the ricky goldsworth case files [3]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gang World, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Gang Violence, Gangs, M/M, Murder, Organized Crime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-08 04:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19863238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckysam78/pseuds/luckysam78
Summary: ricky and c.c. have to take down maizey's gang once and for all but it's a lot harder than it sounds





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> just a friendly reminder that i have no idea how gangs work and i’m not sticking to the canon at all oops just imagine this as a separate universe from ours! also please read books 1 and 2 in this series before reading this or you will be very confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> c.c. passed the test but does he have what it takes to keep his act up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: description of a severed head?? Kinda graphic

C.C. expected more from Maizey. As an infamous gang leader, she should have arranged some sort of elaborate plan to meet with a new recruit. Instead, C.C. was told to simply wait outside the back door of an abandoned building. He shouldn’t have expected more or less to be honest as having a giant hideout was probably out of Maizey’s budget but a man can hope.

Ricky should have chosen C.C.’s outfit because C.C. was unsure how well he blended in. The absence of a coat bothered C.C. and his head felt bare without his fedora. He stood outside the back entrance of the building, waiting for Maizey as he was instructed. As he waited, C.C. tried to count how many words were graffitied onto the wall to distract himself from thoughts about meeting the person who killed Lucy. Finally, Maizey walked up to C.C. with her fluorescent green hair in a tangled mess and a gun still in her hand. She took out a key from inside her pocket and opened the door with it, walking inside and gesturing for C.C. to follow. 

As C.C. walked into the building, what felt like a thousand eyes turned towards his direction as a bunch of people began to scrutinize him and without him saying anything. The air was dusty and it took all of C.C.’s willpower to not cough with every breath. Maizey shut the door and faced C.C., momentarily ignoring all the other people in the room. 

“Now that you’re going to work with us, I have to set a couple of ground rules. One, we’re only going to help you take down Ricky and Night Night and we don’t see each other again. Two, no stepping out of line or not following the plan. Three, don’t go around telling people. I think that third one is a given. These are some pretty simple ground rules and there are more rules I can lay down later,” Maizey twirled the gun in her hand casually, as if it wasn’t a weapon and rather a toy. Her emotionless eyes stabbed into C.C. as she maintained eye contact so intense, one would assume she was trying to win a staring contest. C.C. nodded to show he understood and Maizey’s eyes turned towards the rest of the people in the room. “I suppose I should introduce you to the rest of the crew. Or let them speak for themselves.”

Maizey gave a pointed look at the guy with sunglasses and he stood up straighter, his hands brushing against the knife tucked under his belt. He cast a hasty glance towards the rest of the people before facing C.C., obvious suspicion flashing in his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. 

“I’m Brandon. Don’t get too comfortable around here,” Brandon’s brushed a lock of his mahogany red hair out his face and his lips were set in a tight line. C.C. glances at the plates of metal embedded in Brandon’s arm and Brandon’s glare only grew more venomous. The detective sealed his lips and didn’t ask about it. 

“Mike. I agree with Brandon,” The guy with a worn swamp green fedora spoke, giving C.C. an equally unwelcoming glare. Even though his eyes were empty but young, the bags under his eyes signified that he was a lot older than he sounded. The backs of Mike’s hands had scars on them and his knuckles were bruised. C.C. definitely did not belong with this crowd of people but he just pushed his nerves aside and nodded calmly. He wasn’t too bothered by their threats as he faced criminals who claimed they would murder C.C. and everybody he loves once they got out of prison but the part C.C. was most worried about was keeping his cool at all times around these people.

One by one, each person went around and offered an unfriendly introduction and clearly, nobody wanted to work with C.C. They probably were all suspicious of his motives and were waiting to see if he was going to turn on them. C.C. was determined to not give them the satisfaction of being correct (obviously they were but C.C. couldn’t let them know) and didn’t react to any of their warnings as they expected him to. The last person to introduce themselves was Gene. 

Gene was the most welcoming out of everybody and it was clear that he was new to the world of crime as C.C. noted the absence of any scars or marks on Gene’s skin. He was a rather bulky guy and had french-fry yellow hair that contrasted with his ketchup red shirt. Gene had on a pair of wacky glasses that took the edge off his appearance. He had greeted C.C. enthusiastically, earning him withering looks from the rest of the people. 

After everybody introduced themselves, Maizey handed C.C. over to Gene to show him around the facility. Gene was more hyper when his colleagues weren’t around and he ecstatically ushered C.C. up the stairs into the upper level where the weapons were stored. Gene rambled on about his favorite weapons and which ones were the deadliest while C.C. glances at them wearily, hoping that he wouldn’t be forced to use them but knowing Maizey, he eventually would. 

Then, Gene took C.C. to another room that had a case with somebody’s head in it. When C.C. first saw it, he was so horrified he almost stopped in his tracks. The head was of a woman and her eyes were open and empty. Her mouth was slightly open as if she had been caught off guard. Gene almost squealed with delight and walked up to the case, gesturing to it as he vividly explained, “This is the head of Pam! She was the second biggest rival gang, placing after Night Night’s, and she killed Brandon’s parents, Dan and Rebecca. She also killed Gebra, Maizey’s wife, and we took down their gang within a week! It was the coolest day of my life.”

“Sounds fun,” C.C. tried his best to sound energetic rather than horrified and Gene beamed, obviously buying the act. He continued to walk through the room, encouraged by C.C.’s approval, and rambled on.

“It was actually the first big thing I was part of! I just joined this gang a couple of months ago and I was only doing small things. It really was the best day of my life,” Gene smiled dreamily and C.C. decided that he really needed to finish this mission as soon as possible so the only psychopath he could be around was Ricky. Even then, Ricky was a reasonable psychopath, unlike the people in Maizey’s gang who apparently had a thing for cutting off people’s heads and putting them on display.

Once Gene finished his tour, C.C. returned to Maizey to receive more information. Maizey gave him a brief rundown of when to meet in the next couple of days and promised that they would take down the gang in the next three days. She didn’t give him a very specific plan and only vaguely explained that her plan consisted of attacking Night Night in their home base with their best weapons. C.C. had a feeling that if he pressed for more details, Maizey would start to get suspicious so he just accepted her hazy outline. 

Gene was more enthusiastic about C.C. than the detective expected because after he talked to Maizey, Gene brought him over to the closet of clothing and explained that C.C. should change his look to look more intimidating for when they killed Night Night. C.C. barely got a word in before Gene tossed C.C. some clothes and ordered him to change into them. Reluctantly, C.C. changed into the clothes that Gene picked out for him. When he stepped out with his new clothes, Gene proudly complimented his outfit and when C.C. turned towards the mirror, he looked like a totally different person.

The jacket Gene picked out had a few specks in blood on it but made C.C.’s shoulder appear broader. The pants were a little tight but made C.C. seem taller, even though he was already ridiculously tall. Overall, the outfit made C.C. look tougher and more intimidating. C.C. thanked Gene and Gene beamed, joy practically radiating off his body. 

Finally, it was time for C.C. to head back to his hotel and he set up the decoy body before heading out to meet Ricky in the dark night. Ricky hadn’t noticed C.C.’s outfit at first and asked, “How was it? Did you figure out the plan?”

“It was fine. They’re just a bunch of psychopaths that’s all. Nothing too bad. Maizey didn’t give me the specifics but she said the attack should be in about three days,” C.C. informed and Ricky’s mouth fell open slightly. There was a beat of silence before Ricky spoke up.

“Your outfit,” Ricky managed, looking C.C. up and down with emotion stirring in his eyes. C.C. blushed, feeling a little embarrassed when he realized he was so worn out he forgot to change out of the clothes Gene forced him to wear.

“Oh yeah, one of the guys there chose it for me. He said I’d look more intimidating-“ C.C. was cut off by Ricky kissing him passionately. He was caught off guard but reciprocated, feeling Ricky’s hands clutch the fabric of his jacket as their lips locked together. 

“You’re so pretty,” Ricky mumbled between kisses, basically inhaling in C.C. as they kissed. It had been a while before the couple had gotten a chance to get intimate after Lucy’s death but C.C. didn’t mind Ricky’s passion. Unfortunately, C.C. couldn’t spend much time with Ricky so he had to pull away. 

“I’m not too sure about the exact plans but I’ll update you when I find out more information,” C.C. promised and Ricky glanced at his watch, a frown appearing on his face when he saw that their time was up already. All C.C. wanted to do was kiss that frown off his face and hold Ricky in his arms forever, promising that everything would work out. But they were out of time and could only sneak in a quick kiss before C.C. had to leave to lay in his bed, lonely as usual. He just had to remind himself that after all this was over, he would be able to spend the rest of his life, undisturbed, with Ricky. At least he hoped so.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> c.c. didn’t expect to get backstabbed so soon and obviously, things did not go according to plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: descriptions of violence

When C.C. showed up to the abandoned building that Maizey had told him to meet at, he was surprised to find that everybody was more active than yesterday. People were milling around, grabbing at weapons and suiting up. C.C. was confused and wondered if they were simply preparing for some minor assault for later but his assumption was wrong. Gene ran up to him, shaking with excitement and energy, as if he had just drunk fifty cups of coffee, and almost yelled, “We’re doing it today! Maizey figured out the logistics and we’re doing it today!”

“Doing what?” C.C.’s heart sank to his feet when he had a feeling that he knew the answer already. Mike walked past C.C. with an eerie smile on his face and a large gun in each hand and C.C. hoped he didn’t let his fear slip through his expression. 

“We’re going to take down Night Night’s gang! Here, grab a weapon! We’re all gonna attack Night Night and his men at his base in a half an hour! We’re leaving in a couple minutes! Don’t get that outfit too bloody!” Gene tossed C.C. a handgun and gestured to the outfit he wore, the one that Gene chose for him. C.C. barely had a proper, safe grip on the gun before Gene threw an extra pack of bullets towards him. 

“Thanks! I need to call somebody real quick before I grab some more weapons,” C.C. offered a convincing smile before he hurried out of the building, fumbling with the pack of bullets and the gun as he took out his phone and dialed Ricky’s number. With every empty ring, C.C.’s hope that Ricky would answer started to crumble and he squeezed his phone tightly, anxiety coursing through his veins. Ricky picked up after the fourth ring and C.C. wasted no time with alerting him.

“Ricky, tell Night Night to get ready. Apparently, Maizey moved the date to today and she’s planning to attack you and Night Night in half an hour. Don’t tell him men to leave because that will be too suspicious but tell them to get ready for a fight,” C.C. rapidly informed, barely breathing between words. There was a brief moment of silence on Ricky’s end before there were shuffling noises as Ricky quickly replied. 

“I’m heading over to Night Night’s right now and I’ll call him to let him know. We’ll figure something out. Keep me on call but don’t talk to me directly so I can hear what’s going on. Talk to you later.” Ricky didn’t end the call but the line went silent on his end. C.C. hid the phone in the pocket of his jacket along with the pack of bullets and walked back into the building, holding the gun in his hand. Gene’s eyes lit up as he saw C.C. but before he could ramble on, Maizey intervened and began speaking with C.C. 

“So, we’re going to spring a surprise attack on them and they should be destroyed by tonight. You don’t have to worry about a lot and if you want, you can borrow a mask to hide your identity if it makes it easier to kill. We have a more powerful gang than them so don’t worry about having to face any consequences. It’s a win-win situation,” Maizey grinned, sending a shiver down C.C.’s spine. Maizey’s emotionless face was always terrifying but now that she was smiling, she looked even more intimidating than ever. 

“I can’t wait!” C.C. managed another smile before he looked pointedly at the pile of weapons and walked towards it. A churning feeling started in his stomach as C.C. sifted through the inventory of weapons thinking about how one of these weapons could be the one responsible for his boyfriend’s death. He pushed those thoughts away into a corner as he decided to stick with one gun and walked over to Gene to avoid talking with other people. Gene seemed oddly excited about killing people and animatedly described how he hoped that he could be the one to rip Night Night’s head off to prove his abilities. 

C.C. pretended to be listening and he knew that it was awkward for Ricky to be listening but he couldn’t exactly mingle with the other gang members or else they would start to get suspicious. He was rescued from the rest of Gene’s rant when he heard Maizey yell something about a van and everybody began charging out the door. C.C. followed them and saw that there were two white vans waiting by the side of the building. Everybody piled into the backs of the two vans and C.C. joined them in the back of one of the vans. He was crouched next to Brandon, who was strangely enthusiastic like Maizey (maybe these gang members just really had a thing for killing people), and Brandon had two giant machine guns clutched in his hands. 

As the doors of the van were roughly shut, Brandon turned towards C.C. and glanced at him through his tinted sunglasses, breaking into a proud smile, “You’re going to have so much fun. Thanks for letting Maizey use your identity to get Night Night’s location.”

“No problem,” C.C. answered, gripping his gun a little tighter. So that was what Maizey needed him for. He had no idea why Maizey had to meet C.C. before stealing his identity but from all the cases C.C. worked, it was most probable that she had to learn his behavior in order to replicate his identity. He remembered that Ricky was listening and knew that his possessive boyfriend was probably fuming at Brandon’s remark. 

There were no windows in the back of the van so C.C. had no idea how close they were to getting to Night Night’s place. There were scattered pieces of conversation throughout the back of the van that mostly consisted of gang members trying to describe how they planned to kill people. C.C. tried to seem excited about killing his ex-boyfriend’s brother but on the inside, he was wishing to be anywhere but with these psychopaths. 

Finally, after what was probably only fifteen minutes but what felt like three hours, the van screeched to a halt and everybody clamored over each other as the doors opened, eager to be the first one to kill somebody. C.C. stepped out of the van at a moderate speed that conveyed that he was willing to join them but still slightly cautious. Maizey spotted him over the stream of people carrying weapons charging at a familiar-looking warehouse and waved him over. C.C. made his way to Maizey, successfully avoiding running into anybody carrying a weapon, and Maizey commanded, her voice a little loud so she could be heard over the sound of people’s eager war cries, “Stay here for a second! I want to talk to you before you head in.” 

C.C. nodded and watched as people began storming into the warehouse. He wondered if Ricky could hear the cries of the gang members from inside the warehouse or if he was primarily hearing the cries through the call he was on with Ricky. It took all his willpower to not wince when he heard shots firing and he turned towards Maizey, wanting to go join the fray so he could protect Ricky. Instead of facing Maizey’s face, he was met with a gun, reminding him of his first meeting with Maizey. 

Maizey had a chilling grin on her face as she tilted her head, looking at C.C. in an analytical way. When C.C. let confusion slip into his expression, Maizey let out a laugh that sounded scarier than an earthquake. “You really think I could trust you? I knew you were going to backstab us. I figured that I could get rid of you, Night Night, and Ricky at once. Thanks for leading Ricky to here. I know you’re on a call with him. I hope he knows that the last thing you’re ever going to see is me.”

As soon as Maizey finished speaking, she pulled the trigger and shot a bullet right through the phone in C.C.’s pocket and into his abdomen. Pain fogged C.C.’s mind as he buckled to his knees, clutching at his bullet wound. Maizey’s maniacal laughter rang in his ears and he looked up at her amused expression, too in pain to feel angry. Suddenly, there was another gunshot and red began spreading through the shirt Maizey wore. A bullet had embedded itself into her ribcage, in the place where her heart was and C.C. managed to turn around to see Ricky holding a gun. 

Ricky dropped the gun immediately when he saw C.C. and ran to his boyfriend’s side. This was far worse than getting kidnapped but this reminded C.C. of the last time he had to deal with his boyfriend’s past, namely with Banjo. C.C. seemed to always get the short end of the stick when it came to wanting to help people out. Was it raining or was Ricky crying? C.C.’s vision was blurring and he was having trouble figuring out what was going on around him. There were still shouts and gunshots and as C.C. felt blood coat his hands, he wondered if many other people were bleeding too. After this thought crossed his mind, he decided to try to stand up but he only managed to stumble further into Ricky’s arms. When did Ricky start holding him? And why was it getting harder to stay awake?

He heard Ricky murmur something about how he was going to kill everybody if C.C. died and he answered back with something that sounded like, “If you do, I’m going to come back and haunt the hell out of you” before everything went black.

If C.C. wasn’t in extreme pain, blacking out should have been effortless, as it was shown in movies, but when he passed out, the pain from the bullet wound seemed to be amplified as he was numb to all other senses. He had no idea how long he had passed out for but when he woke up, he was lying in a hospital bed. 

C.C. tried to sit up straighter and let out a hiss of pain as pain threaded through his lower torso. He almost gasped with surprise when he felt a hand on his knee and turned his head to see Ricky sitting in a chair next to his bed. There were a couple of bruises on Ricky’s face but other than that, Ricky didn’t look too wounded, other than his crestfallen expression. 

“You’re awake! How are you feeling?” Ricky’s frown relaxed as he broke into a small smile, pressing a kiss on C.C.’s cheek. C.C. couldn’t help but smile too, glad that Ricky was feeling a little less worried now that he was conscious. 

“I’m still in a little bit of pain. Where are we?” C.C. sat up straighter, pressing down another hiss of anguish as he felt sparks of pain under the bandages on his wound. He wondered if the bullet was still inside his body and made a note to ask later. 

“We’re in a hospital that isn’t run by the government. Don’t worry about it too much, you’re in good hands. I was here when I was shot in the shoulder and stabbed in the chest and I survived thanks to the doctors here,” Ricky obviously was trying to reassure C.C. but C.C. was too shocked by the news that his boyfriend had gotten hurt badly before.

“You were shot in the shoulder? And stabbed in the chest?” C.C. knew he sounded incredulous and Ricky waved a dismissive hand, signaling that was a story for another time, namely a time when C.C. wasn’t in a hospital bed in pain. 

“The important thing is that I’m fine now and you’ll be fine too. You’ve been out for a little over a day and I think you’re going to have to stay for a couple more so you can rest and heal,” Ricky held C.C.’s hand, an ungodly amount of affection seeping into his voice. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who murdered a gang leader in cold blood.

“How are Night Night and his men doing? Did you help them out?” C.C. asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer or not. He saw the size of Maizey’s gang and their weapons and had a hunch that the odds weren’t in the Night Night’s gang’s favor. He also felt guilty for not being able to help Ricky but knew that if he admitted his feelings, Ricky would immediately tell him that he did his best and had already done his part by going undercover. And even though he would be partly correct, C.C. was still doomed from the start as Maizey already had her suspicions about him.

“They’re doing fine. The surprise attack was a bit of a blow but thanks to your warning we managed to get somewhat of leverage. We lost some people but we’re still together,” Ricky’s relieved demeanor changed into a rather angry one quickly as he began to talk about Maizey. “But that green-haired bitch’s gang is going down. They’re still functioning without her but I’m going to take them down. She hurt you and she deserved to die.”

“Wait, you’re going to take them down? By yourself? At least ask Night Night or the Silent J’s to help,” C.C. worriedly fretted, clearly not endorsing Ricky’s plan, whatever it ensued. Knowing Ricky, it probably involved putting his life or reputation on the line and while it probably was successful, C.C. didn’t want Ricky getting hurt. C.C. had already been hurt at the hands of Maizey’s gang and he didn’t want his boyfriend getting hurt worse than he did. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you soon,” Ricky pressed a lingering kiss on C.C.’s forehead before he stood up and left, leaving C.C. to wonder why everybody was telling him not to worry when he had so much to worry about.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ricky works his wonders and gets himself in trouble once again but he and C.C. get the happy ending they have always wanted

C.C. returned to his house after he was released from the hospital, he expected to find Ricky there, with his signature smirk and a welcoming kiss. Instead, he opened the door to an empty house with a lonely silence hanging in the air. C.C.’s phone had been destroyed after Maizey shot a bullet through it so the only way he could contact anybody was with his home’s landline. He called Ricky, not expecting a reply, and, unsurprisingly, Ricky didn’t pick up. Whenever Ricky as missing, he usually took it to the extreme and gave up contact with the world to immerse himself in whatever task he was doing. 

Next, C.C. called Night Night, hoping that he knew where Ricky was and he knew that Night Night was the only other person who would know where Ricky was. Night Night picked up and to C.C.’s dismay, he had no idea where his brother was. By dinner time, C.C. was convinced that something was wrong and he nervously paced around the empty house. Everything in the house reminded him of Ricky, from the photographs on the walls to the books on the coffee table to the mugs neatly lined up in the kitchen cabinet and C.C. found himself missing his boyfriend even more.

C.C. went to sleep with the empty space from his hotel following him. He had trouble sleeping and even when he drifted off to sleep, he had a nightmare about watching Ricky getting killed in front of him. C.C. woke up disoriented and disturbed by his vivid dream and decided to make himself a cup of coffee to cope. As he drank the coffee from his mug, he turned on the television to CNN to see the giant headline “BREAKING NEWS: Criminal Accused of Numerous Murders Including The Murders of An Infamous Gang” flashing. 

The detective almost choked on his coffee and turned up the volume. He leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping his coffee slowly as he listened to the reporter give the report. 

“Yesterday, one of the most infamous gangs in the world was murdered. Many assume that this feat could not have been performed by one man but in fact, a man by the name of Ricky Goldsworth has been accused of committing the murders of these gang members as well as numerous other murders.”

An image of Ricky Goldsworth was shown and C.C. hated how his first thought was “dang, he still looks good in mugshots”.

“His trial will be held next week and this will surely be the trial of the century. Be sure to tune in next week for live coverage of the trial.” 

As the reporter transitioned into another segment, C.C. abruptly shut off the television and picked up the telephone, dialing Night Night’s number. Night Night picked up rather quickly, answering with, “You’ve seen the news, haven’t you?”

“Yes, and Ricky is such an idiot. I can’t believe he did all this just for you. He just exposed himself on a national level, maybe even international, just to kill Maizey’s gang. What was he thinking?” C.C. asked, gripping the handle of his mug as he took another sip of coffee. 

“He wasn’t thinking of me. He was thinking of you. Ricky didn’t want you getting hurt after what happened and he felt guilty. He probably contacted people from his past to help him kill the remaining gang members and in return, Ricky has to be charged of all the crimes they committed. He knew that this was the last option and I guess he decided to take this opportunity,” Night Night reasoned, sounding weary and worn out. C.C. wondered if Night Night felt responsible or guilty for Ricky’s actions or C.C. getting hurt but by the slight tinge of remorse in Night Night’s voice, C.C. could tell that he felt somewhat guilty.

“I’m going to pay him a visit and send you an update after. Talk to you soon,” C.C. hung up on Night Night before he could reply. He was more determined than ever to contact Ricky and he decided that he was going to pay Ricky a visit after work. C.C. used his computer in the office to find out where Ricky was and as it turns out, he was being held in a local cell. The detective worked on the case he was assigned to the best of his ability but he kept thinking about Ricky. He submitted all of the paperwork needed for a visit to the cell and thanks to his relations with the police, he was approved rather quickly. 

Eventually, C.C. left work half an hour early and drove to the jail. He complied with all the procedures and finally, he got to speak with Ricky, who was brought out of his holding cell. The bruises on Ricky’s body didn’t go unnoticed and when Ricky entered the room, C.C. silently wondered how he was going to restrain himself from kissing his boyfriend.

Once the guards left with a gruff reminder that they only had fifteen minutes, C.C. wasted no time in expressing how he felt. 

“Ricky, I’ve been worried sick! I can’t believe you would put yourself in this situation. I told you I didn’t want you getting hurt. It worked but you shouldn’t have risked it all just to fulfill a favor for Night Night.”

Ricky smiled softly, shaking his head at C.C.’s frustration and C.C.’s anger immediately receded. He missed seeing Ricky’s pretty smile and he missed the mischievous glint in his boyfriend’s eyes. For a moment, C.C. could almost see young Ricky in Ricky’s expression, making his heart ache even more. 

“C.C., you know I’m going to get out. We’re going to be fine. We always end up okay, no matter what happens. We’ve been at this for decades, ever since we were young, and we always find our way back to each other,” Ricky reassured, leaning forward on the table. C.C. wanted to lace their fingers together more than ever but there was a rule that he couldn’t touch Ricky while visiting. His smile faltered a bit as he continued, “But, I had to ask some very dangerous people for help and now I have to pay the price. I’ll be going off the charts for a bit after I get out but don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

“You’re such an idiot,” C.C. replied without a malicious tone in his voice. He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he placed his hand palm down on the table and Ricky did the same, sliding his hand across the surface so that their fingertips were barely touching. If the security guards noticed, they didn’t care enough to stop them.

“I’m sorry. It was the last option but I just wanted it to be over with already,” Ricky’s eyes were filled with so much regret that a tear slipped down C.C.’s face. C.C. pushed his hand slightly farther down the table so their fingertips were definitely touching and slightly overlapping.

“I forgive you. I’ll wait for you as long as it takes. Thank you for everything you’ve done,” C.C. didn’t wipe the tear from his cheek as he didn’t want to waste a single second of his time with Ricky. The universe seemed to always give them such a hard time.

“Time is up,” A security guard roughly informed and they took Ricky away, not allowing them to say their goodbyes at all. After his meeting with Ricky, C.C. gave Night Night a quick call to update him on how his brother was doing.

Even if C.C. didn’t get to spend as much time with Ricky as he wanted, he was able to rest later that night knowing that Ricky knew that C.C. still loved him.

-

When Ricky’s trial aired on television, C.C. managed to sit through the entirety of the trial without losing his temper at how unjustified it was. The evidence all seemed to pile up against Ricky and while he clearly killed Maizey’s gang, the other crimes he was accused of didn’t have evidence that was convincing enough to prove that he committed the crimes. Still, the judge believed that Ricky was guilty and convicted him of all the murders he was charged with. He was sentenced to a lifetime in prison and while people would have winced at that punishment, C.C. had learned from experience that a jail cell was too small to hold Ricky.

Ricky didn’t seem fazed by his punishment though as he seemed to have gone through this process, though on a smaller scale, numerous times and knew that he would find a way to get out. C.C. was surprised that Ricky remained in jail for two weeks as the last time he landed himself there, he got out within a week. Maybe it was because this time, the media attention was a little more intense so it took longer for the attention to die down. Once he did escape, C.C. knew that it was a matter of time before Ricky could return home.

Every day without Ricky made C.C. feel more lonely. When he was staying at the hotel, C.C. could at least meet with Ricky at night but now, he couldn’t even spend a couple of minutes with Ricky. Days seemed to drag on and the end of C.C.’s lonely days seemed impossibly far away.

The phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” was more accurate than C.C. imagined. Without Ricky by his side every day, C.C. found himself thinking about Ricky constantly, almost more than he thought about Ricky when they broke up. He sometimes spent evenings looking through photo albums or thinking about their childhood together, reflecting on how much they grew and how their relationship evolved. 

Francesca paid a visit during this time to comfort C.C., reminding him that Ricky would be back. Francesca knew C.C. and Ricky better than anybody else and her support helped C.C. push through the tough times without Ricky. Night Night also called once or twice to check in on C.C., which C.C. greatly appreciated.

Finally, after a month, somebody came knocking on C.C.’s front door. When C.C. answered the knock, he thought it was the mailman or maybe a neighbor who got locked out of their house. Instead, he opened the door to find Ricky standing in a suit, looking as flawless as ever. After ushering Ricky into the house, C.C. didn’t hesitate to kiss the hell out of his boyfriend. He missed how Ricky tasted and the feel of Ricky’s lips against his. Ricky didn’t need to apologize and C.C. didn’t need to give his forgiveness again. They both knew they had each other now and that’s what mattered. 

As Ricky said, life was going to throw obstacles their way but they were always going to find their way back to each other, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the end of the ricky goldsworth case files series folks! thank you so much for all your support as this is one of the biggest projects i've worked on and i'm pretty proud of it! you can find me on tumblr@luckysam78! my bfu sideblog is @tinsley-goldsworth!


End file.
